How do people in Britain view Northern Ireland?
Posted by BigPapaSmurf7@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 449 comments
How do people in Great Britain view Northern Ireland? I wasn't born in N. Ireland but I live in N. Ireland and it just feels and seems much more alike to the Republic of Ireland than to the rest of the UK. But I wonder how people in England, Scotland and Wales view NI? Do you think of it as just akin to the city down the road, or a 'place apart'? I don't want to get too political, just wondering what people in Great Britain thought.
Useful_Idiot_7@reddit
I view it a bit like I view Scotland
jackcharltonuk@reddit
Many people of my age are very ignorant of the history of Ireland in general, and NI is of no exception.
I know a lot of people who are from there and once I got used to being called ‘sir’ all the time I feel very lucky.
Scoobymad555@reddit
Personally don't really think of it in that way. Do know I really enjoyed a long weekend over there despite some shocking weather. Must admit though, the Guinness soda bread was rough though lol
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
It’s depressing reading the comments that so many people think that all the issues in Notthern Ireland were about religion. That the Paddy’s were so caught up in different dominations of Christianity that they couldn’t help killing themselves.
It had nothing to do with religion. It was all about Irish identity vs British identity. Those who were descendants of the colonists from England and Scotland identified as British and the descendants of the natives identified as Irish. The British were the ruling class whereas the Irish were often subjugated.
To suggest it was all about religion merely dilutes any sort of blame from the UK.
quartersessions@reddit
That's a bit strong. You're suggesting that it was ethnic differences between two groups that speak the same language and look the same. That doesn't really explain things and ignores the obvious point that people in 20th century Ireland most likely descend from both Gaelic Irish and Anglo-Irish ancestors.
Religion played a huge part in the division. It was a stalling point on Ireland becoming more integrated into the British mainstream. At times when English Catholics were suspect in their loyalties, it made Irish Catholics equally suspect - and victims of the same discrimination.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
There are ethical differences between the two groups. As I said one side came from Britain and the other was the native Irish
Apartau@reddit
I mean, it exists.
That's about it.
GosmeisterGeneral@reddit
We don’t learn anything about it at school, so I think a lot of people don’t know enough and think it’s too complicated to wade into. So most people just ignore it.
We definitely should learn about it, but we’re the bad guys, so naturally we don’t.
RainyFern@reddit
Thats shocking to me (Irish person) thats its just glossed over.
quartersessions@reddit
It is. Even more baffling is how little about British history it shows is being taught.
You simply can't understand major parts of British history - the Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, the political balance of the early 20th century and so much more - without a basic understanding of Irish history. Ireland played a huge part in that.
MelonCollie92@reddit
That’s awful it’s not taught in schools tbh.
Uvanimor@reddit
Because the history of it is fucked, there is no way to talk about Northern Ireland without making England look like a tyrannical loser who is willing to invade their friends because of fucking religious connotations.
Flat_News_2000@reddit
Hence why the UK barely teaches history at all.
Uvanimor@reddit
Dogshit take, we teach history incredibly well. Admittedly kids are going to want to learn more about the Vikings, Egyptians, Greeks and Aztecs more than our own ruling class being the controlling factor on whether the Irish starved or not during the potato famine.
MelonCollie92@reddit
England commited genocide to the Irish.
Perhaps you should learn your history.
Uvanimor@reddit
Read my earlier comments, I literally talk about how we do not cover sides of history that make us look bad, but literally no country does this other than Germany for very obvious reasons.
Also… you clearly do not know what genocide means, no scholar refers to the potato famine as one and neither should you. Just because it was bad and preventable doesn’t mean it is a genocide.
MelonCollie92@reddit
A great thread that gives the details.
Did the English cause the blight, no.
Did the cause the conditions that led to it and use them to kill the Irish? Yes.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/s/Ut9JealS60
MelonCollie92@reddit
The history is truly fucked. Even we didn’t learn the true full extent properly in school. It was after I learned the full horrific truth.
ThimbleweedPark@reddit
We learnt about it in school in UK including potatoe famine.
GosmeisterGeneral@reddit
Seeing loads of people saying this which is really interesting! Where did you go to school / when?
I was in Essex in the 00s.
StrictAngle@reddit
Not the person you replied to but I'm from Birmingham, left school in 2013 and we studied the troubles as one of our GCSE topics, went into quite a lot of detail and had to watch a film that I can't remember the name of about it and I remember it really upset me at the time
Monkeylovesfood@reddit
My history GCSE subject was The Troubles. Granted this was 20 odd years ago but it's ridiculous to imply that we don't learn about it in school. My 14yo has The Troubles as her next subject in history.
My mum moved from Castlederg to England at 13yo after being targeted, petrol bombed and abused for her entire life.
We certainly do learn about it in school.
newfor2023@reddit
I picked geography instead so no idea what was in the history one. Don't remember Wales Scotland or Ireland coming up in history lessons at all.
matomo23@reddit
We don’t. You’d have to look at what’s on the National Curriculum and I don’t think it is. It was literally never mentioned in our school.
Some schools might choose to teach it of their own accord though.
LeylaLou@reddit
I agree.
I see this comment about not learning about in schools posted a lot on Reddit but we did 40 years ago and all of my children/step children who range in age from 23 downwards have covered Irish history in their schooling.
ElectronicEarth42@reddit
Seems to be dependent on where and when you went to school. First I learned of NI was when I moved there from England, never was taught about it in school beyond the briefest of footnotes.
Monkeylovesfood@reddit
I'd say so. Education isn't standardised across the country so I'd imagine many of us don't learn much about it.
I certainly did and my daughter's next term covers the basics.
The comment I replied to just seemed ridiculous. I'm an Irish citizen, have an Irish and British passport, Mum grew up living on the border and lived through the very worst of it. In my experience it's not a subject that is shied away from.
ElectronicEarth42@reddit
Indeed!
I never had the impression that this was the case personally. Seems to me more like a case of there being only so many topics that can be fit into the curriculum, and some schools choose to teach more about NI than others. The UK and Ireland both have very long and rich histories, and you can only cram so much into a school year.
Automator2023@reddit
I've heard it being described as a bit like someone's parents' sex life...Britain's history with Ireland happened, everyone knows it happened but nobody wants to talk about it because it's awkward and hard to believe it actually happened.
matomo23@reddit
I find it really embarrassing how many people call it Ireland it’s not because they think it should be it’s because they genuinely don’t know it’s part of the UK. We should be taught about our own country in school!
MelodicAd2213@reddit
I think that’s a big mistake to not cover Ireland in history at school. I learnt most of it from family, who are from N Ireland
BigDumbGreenMong@reddit
Kind of a place apart. I know it's technically part of the UK, but really it feels like a completely different country.
Obviously there's a complicated history, but in the context of the current times it seems a bit weird that a small chunk of that island is ruled by my government when the rest of it is a sovereign nation.
traditionalcauli@reddit
I never really thought of NI as part of the UK. I'd always a bit bemused by just how hard Irish protestants simp on the Union when in Britain proper we barely think of them at all.
If you do actually look into it it's kind of embarrassing the way they go on about 1690 and do all these marches and wave flags and cause all this trouble for the Republicans.
It seems to me they don't know how to behave, particularly as they're guests in Ireland in the first place. You'd think they show a little grace.
I welcome the day they're booted out of the union tbh, it's been a long time coming. As long as they don't think they can move over here because I wouldn't want to put up with all their antisocial behaviour in my community.
quartersessions@reddit
Do any of us think of anywhere we don't regularly go? I'm sure Norfolk is filled with loyal, industrious citizens, but I can't say I spend my time thinking about them at all.
That's just absolute ethno-nationalist nonsense. You're talking about a largely pretended ethnic division caused by a movement of people that originates in the 16th century. They're not "guests".
traditionalcauli@reddit
They will be in a United Ireland.
Isewein@reddit
What a staggering sense of entitlement. So they're not "real Irish", but you also don't want them here. I wonder if you can prove your right to this country by tracing your native ancestry all the way back to 1690 or whether you're a "guest" here as well.
traditionalcauli@reddit
Yes, this is the situation Irish protestants have created for themselves: they occupied a land that was not their own then failed to assimilate themselves and are now facing the dissolution of the union on which their future depended.
Neither the Irish nor the British will want to accommodate them for many simply do not know how to behave. Certainly it's sad that they've been betrayed by their political class but they can hardly hold anyone else responsible for that.
They will need to figure out what their place will be in a United Ireland, assuming they'll have one of course. If not then I suppose we shall have to let them in over here but they'll be no flags, parades or bonfires happening, of that they may be assured. Neither that 'culture' or the drug dealing, protection rackets and anti-social behaviour that go with are welcome.
And enough with the 1690 stuff already. Why do you harp on about it so much? This is exactly the problem - you anchor yourselves to this date as if it's something to proud of but beyond your own tiny, increasingly meaningless enclave it's nothing more than a ridiculous irrelevance.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
So true. I've heard they've already ruined Bolton.
2xtc@reddit
I'm no fan of the unionism movement and all their show-off nonsense, but calling them 'guests' of a place their ancestors have been living in for 350 years, before the UK even existed, is a bit of a reach.
It's like saying all those plastic American "Irish" or "Scots" are just 'guests' of the USA, even though they're nothing like the people actually from those countries.
But otherwise you're spot on - the most rampant loyalist groups seem most similar to our EDL and other such fringe groups, and would probably be shocked at the response if they came here and started stringing flegs up all over the place
CleanEnd5930@reddit
Yeah it’s little things like lots of adverts say “GB only” and some brands we don’t get (assuming they are from the Republic?). Or there’s things that are completely different like the political parties, the fact that the police are armed, that religion is much more at the forefront of things, etc.
Each part of the UK has an identity, but it feels like NI is a bit further apart from the rest.
saccerzd@reddit
It's normally not because the brands are Irish. If anything, they'd be more likely to include NI.
"Offers often exclude Northern Ireland due to a combination of factors, including differing legal frameworks for prize draws, logistical challenges, and the impact of EU regulations on businesses selling to the region.
... Northern Ireland has specific regulations regarding prize draws and promotions, which can differ from those in the rest of the UK. For example, in the past, Northern Ireland's laws viewed prize draws linked to product purchases as a form of gambling, requiring free entry options.
...The marketing and distribution rights for certain products are awarded to different partners in different countries, and for logistical reasons, Northern Ireland is sometimes covered by companies with rights for the Republic of Ireland. "
LonelyAbility4977@reddit
So unfair.
CleanEnd5930@reddit
Ah, interesting thanks!
LonelyAbility4977@reddit
Or the fact that ALDI STILL refuses to open any branches in Northern Ireland, yet are happy to stock Northern Ireland food produce in their stores.
Many_Yesterday_451@reddit
Like it's a whole different island?
BlessingsOfLiberty25@reddit
That last sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, to me. The island is home to two sovereign nations, Ireland and the UK, both of which are 'ruled by' governments.
Is it because the geographic island is shared across sovereign states? Because that isn't unique to Ireland.
FormalHeron2798@reddit
It is due to geography, the British Isles are so named because they are off the coast of Brittany, Great Britain is the bigger of the two main islands (scotland England and wales) but the UK also includes NI, the channel islands etc. I think it stems from the Normans but its always easier to blame the french 🇫🇷
prx_23@reddit
The subject is Northern Ireland specifically, not the island of Eire as a whole
armtherabbits@reddit
Yeah, it absolutely doesn't feel like the UK. On the other hand, a lot of it doesn't feel like Ireland either. It's its own place.
Particular_Olive_904@reddit
This, lived there for uni and my Irish parents felt Belfast seemed far more similar to England than where either of them were from in Ireland
Adorable_Chocolate68@reddit
NI is underfunded by UK governments with ancient infrastructure and public service and no EU privilage.
BellamyRFC54@reddit
No technically about it,It’s part of the UK,not great Britain
SallyWilliams60@reddit
This
quartersessions@reddit
I'm pretty positive about the place - and it's obviously improved significantly over my lifetime. Having travelled around a bit, some of the countryside really is wonderful.
Naturally one of the first things you think of is still that decades-long conflict business. Put that to one side and Belfast feels quite like a northern English city or Glasgow at its core. Although it's quite telling that there's very few people from the mainland who travel there for business - I imagine that's a hangover from the Troubles and the economic impact it had.
I'd suggest the identitarian side of NI is quite boring to most of us. Outside of the west of Scotland, being a Catholic or a Protestant isn't a big deal. The self-conscious cultural extremes seem forced and alien. But in general, people from Northern Ireland are - in my experience - a pleasant and friendly bunch.
MixGroundbreaking622@reddit
Never been, don't think about it too often. From what I've seen/heard it sounds like a completely different country.
kilgore_trout1@reddit
I’ve lived in all four constituent countries in the UK at one time or another. Although you know you’re in the UK in each place, everywhere has its own peculiarities and NI is no different in that respect.
It’s a lovely part of the world and I definitely feel like it’s part of the UK but definitely has its own individual flavour.
matomo23@reddit
Yeah I feel that NI feels like the UK too. I don’t really get why so many people are saying it doesn’t. The shops are the same as the rest of the UK, all of the brands that you see in general are. TV and radio is the same as anywhere in the UK, you pay in £. You go across the border and all of that is different.
Definitely feels very different to Ireland.
LonelyAbility4977@reddit
Except Northern Ireland doesn't have ALDI.
morrissey1916@reddit
It’s in Ireland.
matomo23@reddit
Don’t be silly. It’s on the Ireland of Ireland but isn’t in the country called Ireland. But you know that.
morrissey1916@reddit
An imaginary line on a map doesn’t make it any less Irish. Most Irish people, including roughly half the residents of “Northern Ireland” consider it Ireland, regardless of its political status.
supercakefish@reddit
When I visited the only part that felt properly alien to me was the giant walls in Belfast preventing the catholics and protestants from fighting each other - that was eerie to me, like how I’d imagine apartheid-era South Africa.
RevenantSith@reddit
To be fair if you go around July/August , it is eerie seeing flags (not just the standard Ulster Banner, but that of paramilitaries like the UVF/UDA) plastered on the nearest available lamp post, and nobody bags an eye
connectfourvsrisk@reddit
I think that’s the answer. I’ve lived in 3/4 countries and spent time in the remaining 1 where I also have family connections. I now and it does feel like it’s own bit of the UK. The more complicated answer is it will also depend where you are. If you’re on the border it will definitely feel more like the South. And don’t underestimate how little things like road markings, signs and shops make you feel. However, different it is the fact the signs are the same and there’s a Sainsbury’s are the same goes a long way to contributing to the “feel” of a place. The opposite is true and the Irish shops you get here contribute to it feeling different.
IneptusMechanicus@reddit
Truthfully I suspect most Brits don't think about it at all. It's sort of like asking how people in Northern Ireland feel about the Greater Manchester area.
LonelyAbility4977@reddit
True and they're almost proud of their ignorance about NI.
ArumtheLily@reddit
Both English and Scottish. You are right. Most people think that NI is Ireland. They would be shocked and horrified about how their taxes are being spent. After being fed decades of British Military propaganda about how it was all a Protestant vs Catholic religious fundamentalist war, they're just glad the nutters seem to have calmed down.
matomo23@reddit
But isn’t this just poor education? Surely we should be taught about the various parts of our own country?
ArumtheLily@reddit
That's not happening. And what would they teach? It's a well known issue with Conflict history that any neutral retelling of the Conflict makes the RA look like choirboys. The state knows that, and doesn't want it taught.
matomo23@reddit
Oh I mean at a really basic level. I’ve come across plenty of people that don’t even know NI is part of the UK. They think it’s part of Ireland.
ArumtheLily@reddit
Pretty much everyone in Britain thinks that! If they find out how much money is going to the "foreign place", the revolution may occur 😅
dmmeyourfloof@reddit
It was a religious war that turned into the IRA running drugs and guns for profit.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
Wise up.
ArumtheLily@reddit
No it wasn't. Jfc
Hot-Reputation8449@reddit
I'm from Northern Ireland and I'm very glad that the religious nationalist fanatics in balaclavas are no longer trying to ethnically cleanse my community from the face of the island and deeply grateful that the British Army had a hand in partially preventing them from doing so.
Unfortunately the IRA made the place sufficiently dysfunctional, violent, hostile, murdery, and unliveable that the only reason they stopped slaughtering hundreds of people was that they had killed enough Prods and scared enough off to reasonably expect demographic results.
If you can't get what you want by democratic means, slaughter rings round you until you can, seems to be the message.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
Loyalist terrorists targetted only innocent civilian catholics. The Ra went after security forces mostly.
ArumtheLily@reddit
So the Ra's rate of unarmed civilians killed was 37%. Pretty good for the untrained farmers boys. Clear evidence that they, mostly, weren't trying to kill civilians. The British army's rate was 51%. Oops. All those finely trained soldiers. Then there's the UVF/UDA. The Catholic massacring wing of the British Army, if you will. 85%. If those bastards hit a legitimate target it was by accident.
So yeah, who were the murder cunts again?
Figures from Queen Marry Uni. Peer reviewed research.
MahatmaKhote@reddit
I believe they were thinking about it quite strongly in 1996 👀
Key-Struggle-5647@reddit
Or 1993
ukslim@reddit
No, honestly, they weren't.
I have a good friend who was born in Belfast, who's family moved to England, but who still had family there.
He explained to me that Northern Irish people had all kinds of assumptions about what ordinary rest-of-Britain people thought about The Troubles, the Protestant/Catholic divide, the Republican cause, the Unionist cause, all of that.
And the truth is, the vast majority of us barely knew what was going on over there, and we barely thought about it at all.
Of course there was widespread revulsion any time there was a high profile IRA attack, but even when that happened, people were thinking about the murders, more than they were thinking about what NI was actually like.
I'm quite keen to visit NI sometime - the landscape looks amazing, I'm still motivated by the Game of Thrones connection, and I'd probably take in some Troubles-related history tourism. But the vast majority of English people, don't think about NI at all. They barely think about Wales or Scotland, but at least that's not over the sea.
I know some Welsh nationalists feel a kinship with Irish Republicans, and I know Scotland has pockets of sectarians who identify with their Irish counterparts. That's not at all mainstream in Wales, though. I'll let someone else comment about Scotland.
mdzmdz@reddit
Or in Liverpool or Warrington or...
As a primary school kid in the North West we were well aware of all this.
The_39th_Step@reddit
Also they quite like Man United
HomeworkInevitable99@reddit
I honestly think that was the problem during the troubles: the rest of the UK just thought it was somewhere else and didn't care, which is why the IRA brought the fight to England.
takesthebiscuit@reddit
Exactly I give the same amount of thought as I give Wigan
Kopites_Roar@reddit
The town or the pier?
Few-Winner-9694@reddit
Wigan catching strays... lol
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
Thanks to Hacker T Dog, it gets thought about more than I'd care to admit.
Alive_Ice7937@reddit
Wogan grew up in Limerick. That's in the Republic of Ireland. Not Northern Ireland
hsw77@reddit
Absolutely. Northern Ireland accents are banging though. I used to work with a guy called Bob. Turns out that was only so because he was Brian O'Brian.
ohmyblahblah@reddit
Haha i thought for a second i one the same Bob but the one in knew is Brian O'different surname beginning with B
mdzmdz@reddit
We may wonder how Manchester got a new city centre.
yfce@reddit
I think Northern Irish people think about Britain a lot more than British people think about Northern Ireland.
TheVinylCountdown@reddit
Can you give it back to us then please?
Fickle_Warthog_9030@reddit
Don’t think anyone in Britain would give a shit if it were to be reunited with Ireland. It’s the locals you need to convince though.
Constant-Section8375@reddit
I love the Fall
mebutnew@reddit
I work with people from NI and even I mostly forget it exists.
Comfortable-Yak-7952@reddit
Never think about it. Couldnt care less if it joined the Republic or stayed in UK.
BumblebeeForward9818@reddit
It was always planned as a temporary border to facilitate Irish independence without provoking a full civil war. So it needs care and attention but of necessity has always been viewed as a special situation.
Fragile_reddit_mods@reddit
I don’t. I think about it only when it is brought up by someone else. I forget it exists most of the time.
AshEllisUFO@reddit
Mixed thoughts, I went to the same high school as Tim Parry (killed in 1993 Warrington bombing) and my uncle was killed by the IRA serving with the British Army in Belfast so was brought up with a lot of talk about the Troubles.
Actually visited there for the first time this past weekend for a You Me At Six gig and I was surprised at how :British: it felt. The centre was nowhere as busy as other UK capitals and the likes of Manchester so that was a nice change. We stayed near the cathedral quarter and it was odd seeing a lot of run down, abandoned and what looks like bombed out buildings (?) but it felt safe enough apart from little parts like around Primark but no different to other cities
Everyone we spoke to was nice though I struggled with the accent, moreso than Scottish !
Would visit again and recommend
ClumsyandLost@reddit
There are various different cultures across the UK. I don't think of NI as being as being the odd one out. We still have a lot of similarities, and Ireland is also fairly similar. Our similarities become more obvious when compared to other nations outside our archipelago.
Fragrant-Reserve4832@reddit
I don't, it's a long way and there is a sea and a big hill in the way.
In a serious note, I like the accent and the people range from coll af to AH like most other people.
Aggressive_Eggplant@reddit
I am not one of the Brit’s that never think about NI, my Grandad was from there, it looks like a beautiful country and im definitely going to visit one day
Messytablez@reddit
I'd rather live in the north of Ireland the south right now. ROI is in bad shape right now.
Glaciation@reddit
Been there for work. Nice people. Nice accent. Locals have stories
scottyboy70@reddit
Think there is much more of a connection between Northern Ireland and Scotland than with the general consciousness of England. Unfortunately lots of that is founded in bigotry and sectarianism, I admit, but there are normal decent people out there who do think of Northern Ireland positively. I would hazard that most of England wouldn’t care one way or another if there was to be a united Ireland and it was no longer part of UK.
Harrybarcelona@reddit
It doesn't ever cross my mind. I've met lots of Northern Irish people over the years and I consider them Irish (as do they), if that's what you mean.
BalasaarNelxaan@reddit
I’m a lawyer so in my brain Northern Ireland (and Scotland) are far away lands with their own legal systems.
StevieGe123@reddit
It feels very different to the rest of the UK. In fact, I'd say it's the most unbritish part of the UK. What's really weird is that the unionists/protestants, who proclaim their Britishness more loudly than anyone else in the UK are, without question, the least British people on these islands. Even the republicans/catholics, who want Northern Ireland to reuinite with Southern Ireland, seem more British to me than the unionists/protestants.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
I'm from NI and l can tell you that many Nationalists (catholics) from here will have cousins/aunties/uncles living in England who we'll grow up visiting and building connections with those towns and cities. The extremist Loyalists (protestants) from here tend to be more insular and not have same English/Irish cousins. In fact the loyalists hate visiting England as they are automatically labelled as Irish, and they cannot tolerate that at all.
-FangMcFrost-@reddit
I found that out when back when I was at university and I had to work in a group with someone from Northern Ireland.
The English guy in the group was talking to one of his friends and he introduced his friend to all of us in the group and when he got to the guy from Northern Ireland, he said his name and then said "...and he's Irish" but the guy didn't even finish saying "Irish" when the Northern Irish guy interrupted him by forcefully saying "NORTHERN Irish".
You could tell by the way he said it that he was quite offended by being referred to as Irish.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
I'm.surprised he didnt call himself 'British' instead of Northern Irish. The term 'Norn Iron' is another way of removing the word Ireland, very loyalist centric nickname for here in the north of Ireland.😁
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
You mean more sane and progressive
StevieGe123@reddit
Yes.
woodsred@reddit
This is really interesting to me; what would you say differentiates them in particular? When I visited briefly, I did feel like people were a fair bit more talkative than in either Britain or the ROI, but then again I wasn't running around asking everyone for their religious affiliation or last name.
StevieGe123@reddit
Well that's it. They're obsessed with religion and taking sides and the mere fact that they're constantly banging on about being British is distinctly un British. Apart from that, it's absolutely obvious that what they really are is Irish (and most British people really like the Irish) so Irish people being anti Irish is just about as un British as it gets!
Similar_Quiet@reddit
This. What's British about a big old religious parade?
Diddleymaz@reddit
I’d be quite happy if it joined the rest of the island as Ireland
Rare-Imagination1224@reddit
Yeah me too
Diddleymaz@reddit
I’m in Wales, naturalised and by marriage 🏴🤓
Rare-Imagination1224@reddit
I love Wales, good luck in the 6 Nations next weekend, I’m stoked for it!
Diddleymaz@reddit
We’ve already got the wooden spoon
kindanew22@reddit
I work in Ireland a lot and to my surprise most Irish people I speak to are in no rush to make NI part of Ireland.
jetjebrooks@reddit
it would cause potentially severe social trouble and taking on n.i would probably cost a lot of money so regular people are not sold on it
it's mostly the idealists and radicals that want it, the ones who put culture and identity over praticality and day-to-day living
newbris@reddit
Polling from Nov 2023 shows:
Support: 64%
Don’t Support: 16%
Undecided: 13%
Visual-Device-8741@reddit
As ignorant as i am, i think theyd be better off in a unified Ireland.
CrustyHumdinger@reddit
An irrelevant annoyance. The Republic is welcome to them.
Capable_Pack_7346@reddit
Going to NI is a nice trip down memory lane as it's always twenty years behind.
talk2stu@reddit
It’s a dangerous topic that tends to upset folks from N.Ireland. Talk about the weather instead!
MorningToast@reddit
Cannot wait to get together with my NI work colleagues at any opportunity. Hard working, no bullshit and know how to have fun.
Travelliv@reddit
When I studied abroad in France I met some students from NI and Ireland and I found it interesting how they had so much more in common than I did with the NI students - it was interesting how even though we’re from the same ‘country’ they had more in common coming from the same ‘land’
pm_me_your_amphibian@reddit
I don’t really think about it at all, same as I don’t really think about any other place unless it comes up in conversation.
I’ve only been there 3 times so if it was to come up I’d just recall those memories really, same as anywhere else?
Loathsome_Dog@reddit
A disgusting reminder of English imperialism on our doorstep.
Ranoni18@reddit
Highly convenient of you to ignore the huge hand Scotland had in colonialism and imperialism. Your agenda couldn't be more clear. Truly pathetic.
Loathsome_Dog@reddit
Agenda? Ha ha ha everyone's got an agenda haven't they? Fucking weirdo.
Ranoni18@reddit
Lol, just proving how unintelligent you are. Your username is remarkably apt.
LiquidLuck18@reddit
*English AND Scottish.
WoodSteelStone@reddit
Even earlier than you are (I think) referring to, Ireland was invaded and pillaged by Scotland during the Bruce Campaign in the early 1300s (Edward the Bruce - brother of Robert).
ReadyAd2286@reddit
Drive to Portpatrick, binoculars. Easy.
Longjumping_Hand_225@reddit
I feel embarrassed by the history, but also that we should let that go. I feel a kind of irrational guilt about what 'my ancestors' did, but also that hanging on the historic grievances is toxic and illogical. I feel that groups of people should be entitled to self-determination, but I also feel that the Loyalist side of N Ireland is utterly deluded about the reality of modern Britain, and should be part of the island nation of Ireland. I feel people are entitled to their beliefs, and also that all religions are idiotic and poisonous
So completely clear and coherent then.
Fortified_Armadillo@reddit
As someone from NI most English don’t even know NI is a country. “It’s all Ireland innit?” Is what I usually hear.
AshalaWolf_27@reddit
My only thoughts are "it exists"
CentrifugalMalaise@reddit
Personally, I think all the British Isles are so close together, geographically and culturally, I don’t see why we’re 5 separate countries. But that’s just me and I know that there are big historical reasons. But come on guys! Let’s just all be friends!
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
There isn’t 5 separate nations, there is only two; Ireland and the UK.
Sweden and Denmark. Croatia and Serbia, Latvia and Lithuanian, Russia and Ukraine all share a land border with one another. You could argue they’re pretty similar so have no reason to exist individually. Why shouldn’t Ireland and Britain be separate. They’re geographically separated by sea and have cultural differences.
We can of course be friends but your view is very dismissive. The reason Ireland is somewhat culturally similar to the UK is because Britain spend the best part of 800 years trying to wipe Irish culture. Still it is distinctive, Irish dance, Irish language, Irish sports, all survive.
By the way, the Irish aren’t too found of the term the British Isles for very obvious historical reasons.
CentrifugalMalaise@reddit
Like I said, I know there are “big historical reasons”. Apologies for the term “British Isles”, there was no ill intent, I was just searching for a quick term to describe the UK & Ireland.
The UK & Ireland is a small archipelago and it’s perfectly normal around the world for those to be grouped together. Your mainland Europe examples are part of a massive land-mass that takes up most of the Earth. They’re not really the same thing.
I didn’t mean to be dismissive, but your reply has kind of summed up what I was railing against - why can’t we all just be friends? We’re all far more similar than we are different, without the historical problems we would all be one country, and I just don’t like to see us all so, for want of a better word, hating of each other.
But, like I said, it’s just my opinion, and I don’t expect others to agree. I’m relatively young and naïve, but with that comes optimism for the future.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
Your claim that we’d be all one country if it wasn’t for historical reasons is laughable.
Ireland had its own language, its own form of governance, its own types of laws. If Britain had left Ireland well alone there is nothing to suggest that Ireland would be part of the UK today. The fact it isn’t today means in this alternate timeline id be even more unlikely. A probable scenario is that the whole island would be united and even more distinct to Britain.
As for your points about archipelagos. There are loads across the world that don’t share the same government. Just look at the Caribbean and Malay.
CentrifugalMalaise@reddit
You’re right, to say that without the historical problems we would all be one country is incorrect and it was a poor choice of words. It’s not what I meant. I suppose what I actually meant was “in another life” or “in another reality”.
I never advocated for everything to become part of the UK. In my fictional, luxury friend-future, we would be a republic. Hell, call the whole thing Ireland if you like.
Is that better??
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
That’s fair enough. Sorry didn’t mean to come across as argumentative for the sake of it.
I’ve great time for British people and the two countries are now great friends. More so than any time when Ireland was ruled from London. It’s really good to see.
CentrifugalMalaise@reddit
No problem! As I said, I am a bit naïve to some of the historical issues. I just think it’s nice when we all come together. I think we are more alike than what divides us. But that’s just my personal viewpoint.
Intruder313@reddit
I grew up during the troubles so had a dim / terrified view.
I confront my fears and prejudices so went to visit last year and loved it: apart from the accent and some of the murals it was just the UK (which of course it is)
Mega friendly people every time I asked for help too.
Time to bring back bins on train stations ffs!
Flingaway69420@reddit
Most people don't think about N.I any more than you think about Wales or Gibraltar.
Chlorophilia@reddit
Don't agree with this. I think about Wales way more than I think about Northern Ireland.
Far_Reality_3440@reddit
I don't think of Wales as a different country I think about it as much as I think about Lancashire for example. NI is across the sea so its a bit different.
Flingaway69420@reddit
What about Gibraltar? Won't someone please think of Gibraltar!
Chlorophilia@reddit
I thought of Gibraltar the other day lol. I live with Spanish roommates and they reminded me that Gibraltar exists.
lostrandomdude@reddit
You don't think about Wales?
msvictoria624@reddit
Wales is the sibling/child you don’t have to worry about
Realposhnosh@reddit
Sibling/Child? Are you serious? You do realise who we are and what you, the English are?
msvictoria624@reddit
The English use metaphors. Hope that helps
Realposhnosh@reddit
So the metaphor is that you see us as less than you in this relationship?
msvictoria624@reddit
No the metaphor is that you’re the ones who tend to get things right the first time so we don’t have to worry about you going off the rails… unlike ourselves and the others
Realposhnosh@reddit
So you don't have to worry about us? Do you not see how patronising that is?
msvictoria624@reddit
No I don’t. Are you adamant on being offended or can you be explicit on the issue here?
Realposhnosh@reddit
I've been clear enough, you're metaphor and your response is fucking patronising.
The reason we don't give any trouble is because the largest nation in the union fucked us up over 700 years and up until 40 years ago tried to stamp out our culture and language through force and laws.
msvictoria624@reddit
I see…
We’re having a parallel discussion. I’m silly referring to Wales’ positive image and that only. Anything else is an assumption on your part (I’m done now).
5harp3dges@reddit
Wales is actually much closer to being the Father or Mother of the UK with most ties of our heritage in England, Scotland and Ireland originating in Wales. The Welsh have long since been proven to be the first ones here, mixing with other celtic and pagan tribes of mainland Gaul.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
Wales should be independant of England, Scotland too.
Flingaway69420@reddit
Not especially. I'm more of a "dolphins" guy 🐬
Turneroff@reddit
You find more porpoise that way?
thebigchil73@reddit
I’m gonna need a cetacean for that
Flingaway69420@reddit
It's took me to a happier plaice
Kialouisebx@reddit
I think you buoys need to sea yourselves out.
thehealingprocess@reddit
I like whales.
Honey-Badger@reddit
Disagree. Am English but know many Welsh people, have been to Wales countless times, am aware of many Welsh celebrities, bits of the Welsh language, culture etc. I've met 1 person from Northern Ireland in my life and aside from the troubles I know nothing of NI.
TA1699@reddit
You know people from there and have been there, but I highly doubt you actually think much about Wales itself outside of if/when you're directly speaking to somewhere there or are there.
It's the same with NI, Scotland or any other country that isn't a global power. We don't think of them unless there's some big prominent news story or we have some direct association.
mdzmdz@reddit
You do if you're on the borders.
To give one example the unnecessary language restrictions make a lot of council jobs "jobs for the boyos".
TA1699@reddit
Well yes, that just doesn't apply to the vast majority of people.
Flingaway69420@reddit
Feel like I need to clarify that I have nothing against Wales or Gibraltar, I was just using them as examples. I feel like most people don't really think that much about other places unless there's some current relevance. I mean, how often do the people of Bath think about Aberdeen.
Honey-Badger@reddit
Ah okay. But that wasnt Ops question......
Flingaway69420@reddit
I'm just pointing out that most people don't think about other places all that often, even other parts of the UK
GaussAF@reddit
I literally spend all day thinking about Wales
Neviss99@reddit
The green, green valleys?
GaussAF@reddit
Orcas mostly
Neviss99@reddit
They’re not whales
GaussAF@reddit
I've been living a lie!😭
HatOfFlavour@reddit
But everything big gets measured in number of Wales.
On_The_Blindside@reddit
I'm a dual Irish-British national and even I don't think about NI at all.
darkflowertower@reddit
In truth I barely think about it or Ireland. It's not exactly front and centre of our news sources anymore.
longsock9@reddit
NI is a parochial white middle class environment that is bigoted and filled with hate by people that don’t want to and can’t move on from the past. Trauma is ingrained. It’s highly ageist and if you are not from here forget trying to fit in. Writing as a non NI Brit living in NI.
longsock9@reddit
I don’t care about the downvotes. This is my experience so it’s valid.
fresh_start0@reddit
I'm from Dublin and moved into a highly loyalist area in belfast a few years ago. This is completely false in your thinking the vocal minority speak for the general population. There is an entire generation that grew up with peace
bananabastard@reddit
Writing as a fucking balloon, no harm to ye.
longsock9@reddit
Reinforcing my points. Cheers noi.
Ok_Library_4420@reddit
As an NI Brit living outside of NI, the only bit of this I disagree with is the 'middle class' bit, though I imagine it changes with whatever part of NI you're in. The bit I was from was predominantly working class but acting like they were upper-middle class.
Honestly, it's very similar to the bits of England I'd rather avoid, but the violence is much more predictable.
cgknight1@reddit
by and large they don't unless they have a family connection.
lilacxbloom@reddit
cgknight1, most Brits don't think too deeply about Northern Ireland unless it directly affects them or they have personal ties to the region. It kinda just exists in the periphery of their awareness, you know?
Weak-Employer2805@reddit
Yep haven’t thought about NI unprompted ever i don’t think.
PresidentPopcorn@reddit
With a telescope from the top of Blackpool Tower.
I jest, but I like both parts of Ireland and don’t really think of the Irish as any different to me.
ThimbleweedPark@reddit
Another place, having worked there in past. Just felt like part of the UK.
LightningCupboard@reddit
Went on a rugby social to Belfast in recent years, had a tour round the city from a young fella on a party bike. Being rugby players, we pride ourselves on our ability to chop a pint, but I was out chopped by the fella. He started giving me shit, so I clapped back with “you’re Irish, of course you can drink Guinness faster than me”.
This was the day i learned a lot of people in NI do not class themselves as Irish, and are in fact very English.
Impressive_Rub428@reddit
I simply cannot believe the proud people of Northern Ireland are willfully watching as there country is being destroyed ( like England) by mass immigration
Randa08@reddit
I have family their. I made the mistake of calling my nicea and nephews Irish once. Won't happen again lol.
Suspicious_Banana255@reddit
What do they want you to call them?
Randa08@reddit
Northern Irish.
jetjebrooks@reddit
thats like calling an englishman scottish, except much worse
Intelligent_Victory@reddit
Like calling a Scotsman English, then? :)
jetjebrooks@reddit
not quite that insulting!
bananabastard@reddit
They're Irish when they go on holiday.
Did_OJ_Simpson_do_it@reddit
Because you’re a Republican?
7148675309@reddit
I have been to Ireland. Dublin as an example - aside from white back number plates, Blue buses, Euro signs…. does not feel any different than say Edinburgh. Same with the countryside.
fresh_start0@reddit
I moved from Dublin to belfast and I say the same thing, the UK iraland are extremely similar but pound land is called dealz in Ireland 😂
hairychris88@reddit
I know what you mean but Dublin is not that representative of the rest of Ireland.
7148675309@reddit
I have been to Galway, Limerick and Cork. Those towns and the villages between the them - not much different that their equivalents you would find in the UK.
Except that Irish people (that I met) generally nicer!
jizzyjugsjohnson@reddit
Because it’s the northern part of the island of Ireland
poppyo13@reddit
Mad lads
x0xDaddyx0x@reddit
I learnt as a child that I lived in a place called Great Britain and that this was a union of 4 nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Maybe it is wrong of me but while I understand there is a difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland and have a fairly reasonable grasp about why that is the case, I don't have seperated feelings for those places.
I regard the Irish, all of the Irish as my countrymen, I know they aren't but I don't regard the Irish like I regard the French, the French are our neighbours and our friends but the Irish are us.
I imagine what that sounds like would depend on the listener but as I identify as an anarchist, I have no interest in controlling anyone but I know that some people out there will hear what I'm saying as some desire for the Irish to be brought to heel, back under the yolk of English rule.
It seems to me though that the only war is the class war and because that is true I have more allegiance and alignment with the common Irish man than I do with those who rule me and historically them, from London.
I don't get to choose, but if I were to choose, my prefered outcome would be that the common people of the UK were to continue the Irish example and continue in the tradition of our finest moments (things like Magna Carta, been a while since we did something useful) and bring a new defintion of freedom and democracy to the way in which we are governed and the way in which we conduct ourselves on the world stage in way which might lead to not just a full restoration, but an improvement upon, the union, on equal terms.
This is very much a pipe dream though, as things stand because we continue to disgrace ourselves and demonstrate that we cannot be trusted.
I think that nationally speaking we enjoy a delusion that we are a beacon to the world, it would be nice if that were true and or that we were setting an example worthy of following.
Maybe we should try being ruled from Ireland?
Though I suspect that they might be quite shit faced ;)
I am trying to end on a lighter note here, so please don't bomb me, this too is a joke.
EconomistBeginning63@reddit
Why?
They are not your countrymen. In any way. They fought numerous wars to escape any association thereof and were ultimately successful in this over a century ago.
Trys to verbalise their apparent affinity with Irish people while also coming out with crap like this. Mega fail.
MelonCollie92@reddit
Perhaps a better way to describe it is we are friends. “Countrymen” and “us” implies we are the same, but we aren’t.
Similar yes, but not the same! However, I get the kind sentiment.
But there was too much blood spilt over the right for Ireland to be independent and not your “countrymen” or “us”!
MelonCollie92@reddit
I get what he means. I don’t see anything wrong with how he feels.
fused_of_course@reddit
I'm Scottish and I love Belfast. Its one of my favourite cities. For the record, I'm not religious but come from an Irish Catholic background, so I'm not there for the Union Jacks. I get its had a rough history and those tensions are still simmering a bit, but most people now just want to get on with their lives and be respectful to each other. It creates a really friendly and conscientious environment which I really like.
INBloom58@reddit
I think it should be unified with the Republic of Ireland
LadyElectaDub@reddit
I literally do not even think about it
Caveman1214@reddit
Gotta disagree, the republic feels like a completely different country, there’s absolutely nothing alike between NI and the republic in truth. I spoke to someone from the mainland a few months ago, he said he’d never been to NI before but that it felt like home, it was quite heartwarming really. It’s very unfortunate to see some negative and ignorant comments, it genuinely shocks me some people don’t know their own country
arnoboko@reddit
"Nothing alike between NI and the Republic in truth" ... except nationality, sport, language, music, architecture, arts
Caveman1214@reddit
I don’t really see it tbh, we’re Celtic but our history is entirely different Soon as you cross the border everything changes, people don’t understand nuances or idioms we use, we’re our own little place.
arnoboko@reddit
That is either pure ignorance, blind stupidity or just trolling
ShefScientist@reddit
I'm English and think of it as another country. I always find it weird seeing Unionists so devoted to King and country because honestly I don't think many English people could careless if NI joined the ROI (whereas most English people seem to not want Scotland to have independence).
elbapo@reddit
its one of those places that feels different but the same. its kindof uncanny valley in that regard. bit like dunedin in new zealand or whatever. like a parrelel universe.
closest in the uk is the west coast of scotland for obvious reasons.
but honestly every time i go im astounded by how sound and fun everyone is. like the people in macdonalds appear to be enjoying life. which is just strange at this point. cant put my finger on why. thing their sense of community identity is tighter maybe? anyway love the place.
schwillton@reddit
Haha as someone who’s originally a Dunedinite I’m wondering what you found uncanny about it
elbapo@reddit
hee nice to meet you on here. I lived there briefly Its just like echoes of home combined with a sense of otherness.
uncanny valley is a psychological thing where things are familiar but just off a bit - used in horror movies etc. Now i think about it that sounds way too disparaging- but it just worked for the analogy at the time.
its like the houses, the buildings, the landscape and people all look familiar and closely echo home- yet you notice the roads are stragely too wide and the moon is upside down. Theres fish and chips- but no vinegar- and theres no tescos but there is a pack n save? it was like being in the multiverse for a bit.
i loved my experience out there.
bowak@reddit
I never thought how the moon would appear from different latitudes - I guess with only having travelled in Europe and the US I've never been anywhere that's different enough to notice.
Considering that I've done some undergrad level planetary science courses this seems kinda embarrassing as once of the things to consider there is that up or down orientation is completely arbitrary in space, I'd just never thought it through for this particular case.
That would definitely add an uncanny valley vibe though.
schwillton@reddit
Ahh I see what you mean now - I guess the fact that the city was settled primarily by Scottish folks really shaped what it’s become today. I was friends with quite a few Brits in my time there and they often expressed similar things to you. You’ll be happy to hear I’ve whole heartedly embraced vinegar on my chips since moving to the UK!
elbapo@reddit
This pleases me but its also just the obvious choice. because its objectively better. My theory is it got lost on a boat somewhere because some shipmate drunk whatever was to become vinegar hoping there was some vine left. which is fair. its a long way!
2xtc@reddit
Property prices are generally much lower in NI. Perhaps they can actually still afford to enjoy life, even on MacDonalds wages?
Rodolpho55@reddit
I have Never been there. Paris, Benelux are easier to travel to.
Chinook2000@reddit
Age can certainly influence on how one views NI. Growing up in England in the 60s, 70s, 80s the unremittingly terrifying news coverage has given me a core 'fear' of the region and I even feel anxious when I hear the accent. It's so deeply ingrained now, that I can't shake it off.
It doesn't help that mysticism is such a key factor in the situation there and I abhor its influence there and around the world.
Used_River_5301@reddit
Dangerous.
PurpleSpark8@reddit
Have never been there, but, most of the times I see an ad, it says 'not applicable to Northern Ireland' and it makes me wonder why it's treated so differently and if they have an equivalent
bowak@reddit
I'd say most of the time I don't think about it. It doesn't really feel like part of the same country to me, though I'm sure at least some of that is because where I live in NW England I can drive or get the train to Wales or Scotland in just over an hour so they're both close and easy to get to whereas NI would take more planning and time.
I only really think about it when planning cycling trips as I haven't been to NI yet and would like to - I had a friend at uni who was fun Derry and it sounds worth visiting, along with Belfast and the Giant's Causeway etc.
RegularWhiteShark@reddit
I think of Northern Ireland as Northern Ireland, the same way as I think of Wales as Wales etc. They’re their own country with their own identity.
holyshipballs@reddit
As if it's one of my best friends, but they are refusing to leave a party.
Weary-Carob3896@reddit
It's not too far away, but I can't see it, even if I go the bedroom window.
Immediate_Yam_7733@reddit
Spent a good chunk of my childhood over there . Have a lot of family over there . Not sure how anyone else views it but for me it's just another part of the country . Politically I don't get involved seen enough of that shit growing up . I view them in terms of attitude more like scots or northern English. Can have a good laugh but at the same time they're not to be fucked with .
DoubtSpirited3041@reddit
I've never been (its on my list). But I've not been to many places in the UK. To me it feels like a party of the country I've not been before. But I imagine like going from England to Scotland, Wales, Cornwall or even from North to South of England it will feel British but have its own distinct local culture
EstablishedFortune@reddit
Couple of hams eh
OrganizationLast7570@reddit
TBH most of England feels like a different country to me so NI is very foreign
victorianwallpaper@reddit
I’m English but lived in Belfast for 5 years. A great many English people I’ve spoken to are shocked to find out Belfast is in the UK, which is devastating.
LonesomeDub@reddit
I'll raise you the number of English people I've spoken to who are shocked to find out Dublin isn't...
Cloielle@reddit
Yeah, I’ve got friends in NI and the ROI, so I’ve picked up a reasonable understanding about Irish history. I’m often gobsmacked at the total ignorance of my fellow English people about it, though. I think they teach more in schools now, to be fair.
matomo23@reddit
Learning about the different parts of the UK, bizarrely, doesn’t seem to be on the National Curriculum so it’s down to the individual school.
Cloielle@reddit
That IS bizarre. If a teacher has a blind spot, then, the kids won’t learn! Even the US teaches kids about their own geography!
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
I'd say few people in the island of Britain really identify with the place. Northern Ireland is literally and culturally much closer to Ireland than it is to the UK.
Compare to Scotland or Wales. Both have contributed things like food, or literature, or music, to the UK's identity as a whole. Northern Ireland just hasn't done this in the same way (I'm sure there are some examples, but they're definitely not mainstream.)
kramnostrebor06@reddit
I view it from the top of a big hill. Mind you, I'm on the Ayrshire coast
Phil1889Blades@reddit
Great place. I don’t really assess it in terms of part of the same country or not. I struggle with the religion and the issues it has caused though, suppose arriving in London/Derry during an orange march gave me an interesting perspective on it all.
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
Derry
Phil1889Blades@reddit
That too.
Jack_202@reddit
All of Ireland used to be in the UK. That part was kept in the UK because the majority of its population considered themselves to be British. That's how I view it.
Sufficient-Star-1237@reddit
I realise this may not be the case for the inhabitants, but as an outsider and visitor. I view it as Ireland. Geopolitically it’s two separate nations but for me, as an observer, it’s culturally and socially one nation.
Lomasgo@reddit
What was that ?
Froomian@reddit
I last visited NI with my friend from the Republic and we both said the place felt uncanny.
Slow_Train1378@reddit
The place that the free state forgot
UndulatingUnderpants@reddit
Pretty powerful binoculars, or a small telescope
Tachinardi18@reddit
I just view it as part of Ireland.
Scrombolo@reddit
My nan was from NI, so I think 'that's where nan was from'...
Funnily enough, despite being a quarter northern Irish, I've been to the republic of Ireland loads of times as a close friend is from/lives there, plus my wife is half Irish, but I've never actually been to northern Ireland.
Stunning-Profit8876@reddit
I can't say I've ever really thought about it.
mdzmdz@reddit
It's a massive tax drain, which is why in practical terms Ireland don't want reunification. I think if they say they're British they're British and deserve our support inspite of this.
I'm reluctant to go there without a guide, as I'd do the old turn right not left out the hotel and end up in the wrong place.
I admire the Orange Order and their Bands, as a symbol of community cohesion we don't have in mainland Britain.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
The Orange Order is a cesspit of sectarianism. Not much to admire.
shanghai-blonde@reddit
I went there as a kid and it was extremely odd. Like one town would have British flags and pictures of the Queen everywhere then the next town would just have a lone Irish flag. I felt scared everywhere although people were nice. Very highly politicised. I was 10 so take this with a pinch of salt lol.
wibble089@reddit
I'm a child of the 1970s and 1980s and a young adult in the early 1990s and grew up in southern England.
If I think of Northern Ireland at all , then unfortunately the first thing that still comes to my mind is soldiers, car bombs , and funerals where the coffin is surrounded by balaclava covered men holding AK47s.
Then I remembered watching Tony Blair announcing the Good Friday agreement and I have to remember to resync my mind. https://youtu.be/5ESQSxoIsKI?si=qyyxaus1kROuNffk
The "problem" is that since the late 1990s Northern Ireland has not been ever present in the news coverage , so my internal picture library hasn't been updated with better pictures (watching The Fall also wasn't that helpful!)
I know it's been over 25 years, and I'm aware that everything is different, but childhood impressions of TV news and documentary coverage and real life impacts such as telephoned bomb threats causing evacuation at work, or seeing the aftermath of lorry bombs in London and Manchester still create a strong impression.
jamo133@reddit
I didn’t really. Except on the odd political issue. Then I went there and met the young people like me, who just want to get on with their lives and not be castigated for being born on one side or another, and I think they’re wonderful people too! Belfast itself feels similar to Manchester or Glasgow or any other northern city, except there’s a palpable sense of “a war has happened here” - it pervades the space. I like NI, I enjoyed my time there and I intend to go back and now I think of NIers more often and try and follow NI news occasionally.
SheLiftz2022@reddit
I’ve lived here for 12 years having left London, I like it for the most part there’s a lot of English here too - when I first moved over I expected it to be like Gaza with bombs going off every 10 mins 😂.
Happy to say that isn’t the case and most of the people are lovely a lot nicer than the English that’s for sure
WandaWilsonLD@reddit
My family still talks about November 21 1974.
SaluteMaestro@reddit
A bit like Liverpool or Glasgow or London or anywhere else in UK where I don't live, not at all.
nomadshire@reddit
It's the place with no border control and where untaxed goods, illegal migrants and blackmarket goods come in.
Yes this a anecdotal opinion and rather flippant view.
Give it to Ireland and let the EU improve the human rights in the place. Ie abortion choice.
Max_Abbott_1979@reddit
You mean Ireland?
Dark-Empath-@reddit
Northern Ireland? Meh, the clue is in the name I guess.
Downdownbytheriver@reddit
We receive basically no news about it, which was probably a propaganda decision with the BBC.
I had no idea of the continuing troubles still happening there until meeting NI people at Uni and them telling us.
Ok_Elderberry_5690@reddit
Traveller's on their own land
Jordment@reddit
Place apart I can not for the life of me understand so called loyalists it should be reunited with the republic our imperialism was wrong. English.
Wonderful-Parsley-24@reddit
I visit Belfast and surrounds on the regular. The woman I live with has her sister and brother in law in whitehead up from Carrickfergus. Her brother in law is a very interesting man who has taught me unbiased info about the troubles. The pubs over there are some of the best in the world the drinking culture is like England in the 90s. Belfast itself is a beautiful liveable city and it’s a very interesting place. The people at least seem very friendly and funny. Northern Ireland is well worth a visit. I’ve not bothered with Southern Ireland as the north is too good.
bertywinterfelk@reddit
I don’t really think about Northern Ireland regularly. I visited Belfast a few years ago and it felt like any other part of the UK
TheRealGDay@reddit
Then you must have had your eyes closed to the flags and painted kerbstones, and armoured police cars and police stations with cages around them.
TheRealGDay@reddit
Why is it that people don't like this being pointed out? Can't they deal with reality? Why the need to pretend that these things don't exist?
2xtc@reddit
I don't think most people who visit Belfast are going to be walking down Shankhill road, the city centre is similar to pretty much any other British city
Party-Maintenance-83@reddit
Although North Belfast is actually the most beautifully scenic part of Belfast as well as having been the hardest hit what with the murder mile and all.
jetjebrooks@reddit
flags? bloody hell thats like walking into narnia, totally different world ey!
TwentyOneClimates@reddit
It's just another part of the UK to me, Just happens to be connected politically instead of geographically. Feels a little more distant than Scotland or Wales purely because it's separated by water.
ThinTrip7801@reddit
Irish
wongl888@reddit
Ever heard of the British telling Irish jokes? You can tell what they think of the Irish from their jokes.
tomahawk66mtb@reddit
Not sure many under 40 will have strong opinions or even know much about NI For me I immediately think of the Troubles, bomb threats and IRA.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
A friend of mine works in England and he says the older people in work (40+) would ask him questions about The Troubles and things and he’d be like “I dno, I was born in 1998”
B0b_Howard@reddit
My memories of N.I. are from when I was a kid living there in the late 80's and early 90's as a pad-brat.
I remember falling asleep to the sounds of explosions going of in Belfast, and they would blow up Lisburn high-sreet every Christmas.
I remember the windows shattering from the blast one time, but it was OK because all windows had clear plastic on the to contain the glassy shrapnel.
I remmember my first proper best friend having to move back to the UK after far too short a time because his father got shot and killed by a sniper while working 200+ feet up on antenna.
I rmember my first kiss....
I remember having to check all cars for bobms before you for in them.
I remember nearly getting the shit clicked out of me because I ran through and oreng-men March.
I remember the bonfire for the 4th being built on wasteland being protected to stop people knocking gits and to stop people setting it off too early.
I remember a friend that taught me how to play HeroQuest and then D&D...
All I have is memories. We did the touristy things (Loch Neigh, Carrick-a-Reed, Giants Causeway), and I climbed up Shuflgarloaf and surrilounding hills.
But th biggest memory of fear was always will my Dad come home.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
I’m from Tyrone but I’m 26, so missed The Troubles, so for people under 30 actually from here even we don’t relate to the past of NI now, but the image of The Troubles is still what a lot of people not from here is what they think of when they think of NI
Federal-Mortgage7490@reddit
Some things you assume they have the same as here but they don't. Like tea, don't think they have PgTips or Yorkshire or Tetley's. My colleague over there always talks about Barry's and Lyons (I think). Stuff like that, you wouldn't find that difference with Scotland or Wales.
thecraftybee1981@reddit
Barry’s and Lyons is found more in Ireland, they’re not stocked in Asda/Tesco/Sainsburys, or in my nearest ones at least. In Northern Ireland the main local tea brands are Nanbarrie and Punjana/Thompsons. The main British brands are stocked too.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
Yea the supermarket don’t have Barry’s, but like Centra, Spar, Mace etc. have it
biddyonabike@reddit
A place apart, really. It's not a place I'd choose to go, though I did go there a couple of times. I don't really understand why they want to be British and why they want so many opt outs too. It's just confusing, really.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
Well like half of NI doesn’t want to be British lol
Xxjanky@reddit
We were ALL thinking about it in 2017. Every single feckin day it seemed.
JourneyThiefer@reddit
That’s because no one thought about it in 2016 🤣
AndrexOxybox@reddit
After all they’ve been through, many of us just wish it well.
FireMeoffCapeReinga@reddit
Friendly people, traybakes, loads of flags and some scary murals.
Ayyyyylmaos@reddit
“Northern Ireland is more like Ireland than the rest of the uk”
Well, yeah… I’m not surprised by that 🤣
Honestly I don’t think we think about it too much. I just get the impression it’s a more extreme version of here. More drinking, more fights, more inequality etc. etc.
greengrayclouds@reddit
Telescope
Silver-Variation-813@reddit
As a 22 year old Londoner who’s born and raised here, I don’t really think of them. I have irish family but on the republic side, but it doesn’t come up in conversation. When I do hear about Northern Ireland it’s normally about a certain group but that’s maybe a combination of its impact and my age group. Looking forward to my first time there Sunday for st paddy’s
BroodLord1962@reddit
I think a lot of people from the rest of the UK still remember the troubles and still think it is an unsafe place to visit or live. Despite the fact it's the safest place to live in the UK
springsomnia@reddit
I’m Irish but live in England and most Brits are very ignorant about Northern Ireland and I’ve had some very silly questions about it! So many are also surprised when I say that Northern Ireland is still a colony and technically occupied by Britain. Most Brits who are under 30 have no idea about The Troubles or only know very basic facts about it. If they do know, it’s because they watched Derry Girls.
Narrow_Experience_34@reddit
I don't know if the people there want to stay part of the UK but personally I think it should be returned to Ireland.
GreatBigDin@reddit
Returned?
You know Ireland was only ever one country when it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland?
Yes, we are very happy to remain a part of the UK
MelonCollie92@reddit
Used to be called Hibernia.
warsongN17@reddit
What are on about? There have been many high kings of Ireland who ruled all of Ireland.
No-Ferret-560@reddit
In terms of politics, history & culture of course it's very unique, but so are other regions/constituent nations of the UK. I just view it as the only corner of the UK I've never explored. From google maps it just looks like the UK, but pretty poor compared to other regions. It doesn't look foreign at all though.
That said in terms of architecture & landscape, the ROI looks very familiar too. It's not that it feels 'British' but being neighbours you're bound to get a similar vibe given the similar geography (which goes to influence architecture & street design etc).
2xtc@reddit
Bear in mind that anything built in Ireland 100-200 odd years ago was built in the UK, and as there's a lot of old housing and commercial stock in both countries it's not that surprising it looks very similar.
When I visited Dublin for the first time I was amazed the area I stayed in was almost identical to where my mom grew up in Liverpool - same sky, same houses, a lot of the same shops etc.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
Colonisation will do that to a place. It has a lot more to do with identity than anything to do with religion.
redref1ux@reddit
Have work connections there and have visited, lovely place and great hospitality. Just a pain in the arse to have to fly there when the same distance the other way gets me to Manchester
reginalduk@reddit
It feels very familiar and absolutely normal until you find out that they put the toaster away after use.
ImpressNice299@reddit
To me, it's a bit like Rhode Island or something. I know of it, I have a rough idea what it's like, I've probably met someone from there.
Early_Government198@reddit
From afar.
Agitated_Custard7395@reddit
Can’t understand a word you guys say
Necessary_Umpire_139@reddit
Big fan of NI. Is just as important part of the Union as any of the other countries. However I believe my feelings are not felt as much as others just for the fact I fucking love the UK. ROI has a soft spot despite not being UK just for the sake of they're essentially the same, but also evidently different.
Expression-Every@reddit
Little brother unfortunately as I haven’t travelled much
Georgey94@reddit
It’s like Wales.. I don’t think about it at all tbh
BackgroundGate3@reddit
I don't think we think about it at all, except when we're going there on holiday. It's just another part of the UK.
mypostisbad@reddit
I can't see it at all from London.
coffeewalnut05@reddit
Peaceful and beautiful place with nice green countryside and lush coast. The site and inspiration of marvels and inventions like the Titanic and the Narnia books. Heard the people are friendly. Sectarian politics, but the peace process seems to have worked out well all things considered.
Glad we can call NI one of the four corners of the UK.
Jolly_Constant_4913@reddit
Having my own relationship with the empire I think it is a wound that may explode with infection one day. Basically it's not dealt with and colonialism was a huge mistake
Any-Class-2673@reddit
In Wales and I think Northern Ireland should just be a part of Ireland at this point, it's silly to keep a country apart.
Altruistic-Sorbet968@reddit
Being from Liverpool I see Northern Ireland as Ireland not the UK and I remember being terrified of the orange order as a kid but I suppose I see Liverpool as the 33rd county lol
ohsaycanyourock@reddit
I've visited quite a few times and loved it so much I tried to get a job and move over there when I finished uni. I love Belfast, love the Antrim coast, really liked how friendly everyone was there. As other people have said, it feels like the UK but also doesn't at the same time; it feels like its own little country, if that makes sense.
adreddit298@reddit
On a map or via a telescope usually
DameKumquat@reddit
It was mentioned a lot in Current Events at school (70s to early 90s). Never got to go there until early 2000s. If Wales seems similar to England except with Welsh, and Scotland is almost as similar only with more differences, NI is another step different (and RoI a few more).
Now it's not in the news every other day, and I don't work there, I can't say I think of it much (but could say the same about most of the UK outside the M25...)
Ldero97@reddit
We don't really. I can't say I've ever thought about it, apart from when their weird MPs were propping up Theresa May for those 2 years.
kindanew22@reddit
With bewilderment mainy.
The religious divide and sectarianism is really alien to many people although I am aware that there is a similar thing going on in Glasgow.
Caring who is catholic or protestant just isn't a thing generally.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
This is such a common trope.
The troubles has little to do with religion and much more to do with identity.
Those who were descendants of British colonists identified as British and those who were descendants of the natives identified as Irish.
kittenhoof@reddit
It's like we Installed a council estate for political leverage.
No one gives a fuck about northern Ireland apart from the northern Irish.
Every advert in the UK that sells a product usually has a disclaimer that excludes the northern Ireland.
Lovely part of the country (apart from the angry council estate areas)
Those that love england should move to the council estates in the north of England and let Ireland unite.
Problem solved.
You're welcome
Similar_Quiet@reddit
They might find that Scotland suits them better, the religious sectarianism is more of a thing there.
ilDucinho@reddit
Northern Ireland has a fiscal deficit of £5k per person so I see them as useless leeches, imposed on me (a Londoner) by landed elites.
Not particularly unique in this regard but one of the most egregious examples.
I have sympathy with loyalists that want to remain part of the UK, but the Uk they want to remain a part of doesn’t exist anymore anyway.
If I was UK PM, I’d try to recoup as much money as possible. Either get Ireland to buy it from us, or sell all the land to private investors.
Terrible_Biscotti_16@reddit
Get Ireland to buy the part of the country that was colonised by the UK in the first place!?
That seems fair alright!
WilkosJumper2@reddit
That it’s a legacy of imperialism and should be part of the Republic however due to the complexities of identity and what would happen were that the case we have to maintain this in between state so no single group feels particularly happy.
Pockysocks@reddit
It's just sort of there. Don't really think much about it one way or another.
WiseBelt8935@reddit
there is no reason to view it differently it's a part of the union.
Similar_Quiet@reddit
Most of the rest of the country don't have wee little parades to wind people up, they don't care about whether you're Catholic or Protestant and their governance doesn't habitually break down for years.
lovely-luscious-lube@reddit
There are a few reasons to view it differently. Historically, at least.
WiseBelt8935@reddit
you can say the same about the rest of the union we all have some unique histories.
Honey-Badger@reddit
Any of them involved in separatist terrorist attacks during our lifetimes or na?
WiseBelt8935@reddit
the Danelaw was pretty spicy
MelodicAd2213@reddit
Most of my family are orange N Irish, but I’ve taken more of an interest in it over the last few years and can take a more balanced view. Having spent time in all nations of the UK I feel it’s got kind of a slightly different slant in that independence is less of an option than a united Ireland
ME-McG-Scot@reddit
Place apart tbh but i feel like that about England and Wales. Funny how all the countries are linked but I feel they all feel different. When Im in England for example, I feel like I’m in another country rather than a different part of the UK.
ThatNiceDrShipman@reddit
I had only known Northern Ireland from the depressing news up until about 10 years ago, when I started visiting friends and extended family there. Since then I've been to Belfast many times, and stayed in Derry last summer. We've driven around a fair bit too, and it's a very beautiful place.
Lovely people, too - very friendly locals. Fond of their flags.
Brickie78@reddit
I grew up in the 80s and 90s so I guess my view was coloured by that - to me growing up, Belfast went with Beirut or Mogadishu as desirable locations.
All of that said, I'd love to go one day and find out how out of date that is. Belfast was always an industrial city anyway, more of a Birmingham or Glasgow than York or Chester, but I'm sure there's stuff to do. i'm more of a small towns guy anyway.
all-your-bases-are@reddit
Loved it when we went for our holiday (just after covid). We ferried over to Dublin stayed a couple of days and drove up through Belfast and up to Port Stewart (it was just after the Open golf). Tooled around for a few days and thought it was absolutely beautiful . NI definitely had an identity of its own. Eating out was an issue… quite a few ice cream / gelato type places that you find on the continent but an actual restaurant was weirdly tough to find unless you had booked in well in advance. Belfast on the way back, stayed in the Titanic hotel - yeah very interesting visit. If you said is England like Scotland or is Wales like England…Yeah of course but actually no not really. The true outlier is London. Ignoring that (amazing) city. Everywhere else in the UK is kinda rural Uk or Urban Uk with a twist of Wales, England, Cornwall, Scotland or NI.
Mobile_Falcon8639@reddit
This question is about 25 years too late. When I was young Northern Ireland was a big problem a place to be afraid of in mainland UK. Today, I doubt it crosses many peoples mind. I've met Zgen people who aren't aware there was any problem with Northern Ireland, never heard of the IRA and didn't know anything about bombings etc. Historic memories are short.
Erizohedgehog@reddit
Only ever visited the South - but would be open to visiting the North - I don’t see it as the scary place on the news in the 80s
ExcellentEnergy6677@reddit
Feels the same but everyone has an Irish accent.
QOTAPOTA@reddit
Great people. As for the whole of the island tbf. Personally, I would love to see a united Ireland. I don’t subscribe to any religion so don’t understand that bullshit. So long as everyone’s rights are respected and it’s done in a fair way, get it done.
Intelligent_Victory@reddit
That's precisely why it hasn't happened. It has been made abundantly clear that everyone's rights won't be respected. There's been more virtue signalling in the right direction in recent years, but actions speak louder than words.
QOTAPOTA@reddit
Oh I agree. It’s seems to be from the republic side. Why should we change, they’re joining us. For your grandkids, that’s why.
They need to take care of the unionists.
Alundra828@reddit
Literally the only exposure I have to NI is at the end of adverts where it says "northern Ireland not included"
BountyBobIsBack@reddit
Wonderful place, very friendly people. Belfast is a great city.
Humbled by the peace walls, memorials for citizens killed and perhaps gained a better insight into the Troubles.
bibipbapbap@reddit
Generally I don’t think about NI. But those crazy, beautiful bastards I went to uni with, that’s a different story. Will always have a soft spot norn iron!!
According_Estate6772@reddit
Eyes. Hopefully the peace wall will be seen as no longer than necessary sooner rather than later.
Vespa_Alex@reddit
I expect it depends a lot on your age. For a lot of us, NI was bombs, terrorism and Gerry Adams on the news being voiced by someone else. Obviously it’s moved on a lot since then, and for younger people the first thing that comes to mind might be “screwed over by Brexit”.
Doyles58@reddit
It’s a lovely part of the world. Feel there should be a united Ireland.
Fivetuneate@reddit
They can’t; due to the Earth’s curvature.
yaboicrackers@reddit
On google maps most of the time
MadMuffinMan117@reddit
Is it? I didn't notice
whothrowsachoux@reddit
Sad, like an old work colleague who keeps coming to the Christmas do because they don’t have any other friends. Should be enjoying your freedom from us and chilling out with the people to the south, none of us really care about you that much anyway
appletinicyclone@reddit
Girls with a Northern Irish accent = 🥰
I remember visiting Edinburgh uni once years ago and there was a Northern Irish girl there in the student union or bar or something.
Loved her accent, she was gorgeous. Made zero attempt to talk to her.
So my view is positive
forgottofeedthecat@reddit
ah, a true redditor :P
appletinicyclone@reddit
Yep
Was pure limerance
OldTimeEddie@reddit
I'm from Glasgow with family in both the north and south. Get them over here and it's generally sound but the catholic/proddy stuff is much worse there than it is in Glasgow but otherwise it's no bad even when outside of the NI hotbed the unionists etc can be sound to get along with.
I don't like or dislike them so much as their politics and governmental opinions. Then again I hate Tories I'm from Scotland, there's plenty of people in other parts of the UK who would say and disagree with my opinions. Doesn't mean we couldn't grab a pint.
No-K-Reddit@reddit
I view it as a fucking logistical nightmare. Happy to have em, but also respect the idea of a united Ireland, whatever they want frankly, we give out independence like a fun size mars bar, but respect that it's not as easy as that
jetjebrooks@reddit
n.i person here. give me a united uk, its about time the republic are let in
No-K-Reddit@reddit
Again, fine if that's what the people want. People should be in charge of their own destiny and if that's with us, great, if not, fair play
buckwurst@reddit
Angry people with strange accents going on about religious nonsense
Reesno33@reddit
It's like a shit Northern town in England, but with an undertone of never being too far away from potential religious violence for reasons most English people don't even fully understand.
snarkycrumpet@reddit
I love it but I'm hoping it remains an amazing secret
ButWhichPandaAreYou@reddit
Northern what now
asttocatbunny@reddit
With respect to the folk of Ireland - that i have visited a few times and found generally really nice.
Mainland Folk dont think about it. Its irrelevant to most folk. Much like you have a neighbour but you have no reason to talk with. Or when its in the news (re the troubles) they think its a pain in the ass that most folk don't want and would be happy to get rid of.
Dont take offence, btw, cos thats just how brits are. Some Folk view Scotland in a similar way too!
Corvid-Ranger-118@reddit
"I don't want to be too political" thoughts and prayers for this wish
nerdalertalertnerd@reddit
I think the attitude of my peers and myself is very much that we were never really properly educated about NI in school and that wasn’t fair. It’s only as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more aware of it.
Thevanillafalcon@reddit
It’s part of the UK and I see them as my countrymen, i like Northern Ireland and the northern Irish.
But on a day to day basis I don’t think about them, but then I don’t think about people from Surrey either
Far-Traffic6356@reddit
Ravers 🤣✌️😎
MissingBothCufflinks@reddit
I work with a number of NI guys in business... my opinion of NI is it's effectively a Wish.com version of siciliy with its own shit mafia running everything. Every negotiation is aggressive to the point of unpleasantness. Everyone has a finger in every NI pie. Conflicts of interest everywhere.
Basically I avoid it and them.
Doubles_2@reddit
I don’t mean this politically but when I think of NI, in my head it’s part of Ireland.
D0wnb0at@reddit
Same. But I don’t even know how N.Ireland works politically either. I just had to google to see if they use pounds or Euros.
jetjebrooks@reddit
and before that you presumably had to google how to use google?
Caveman1214@reddit
Mate…
RandomRedditor_1916@reddit
🫡
plasticface2@reddit
Feels like part of the UK. And so does all of Ireland, tbh.
ClevelandWomble@reddit
Most seem to regard it as an obligation. We'd like the Republic and the residents of Northern Ireland to put their historic differences to one side as a united Ireland. Until they do that though, we support the democratic right of the north to remain British.
likesrabbitstbf@reddit
My stepdad served there in the British Army during the 1970s, mid-Troubles. He can be quite cantankerous and reactionary at times, but whenever I try to nail him down to a position on Northern Ireland he always ends up saying "we should never have been there in the first place".
As for the people and its culture: everyone I've met from there has been lovely, as is the case with everywhere. There's nice people and not so nice people.
As for its future constitutional relationship with the rest of the UK and the rest of Ireland: that's for the people who live there to decide.
Small-External4419@reddit
I used to travel there for work (a couple of days once per month for about ten years) and I love the place. The people are so friendly and will do anything for you, much more so than in England. The landscape is beautiful, particularly around Newcastle and the Mournes. The weather however is shocking - much wetter and colder than where I live in the English Midlands. The politics are obviously something which can’t be ignored, but I never made comment (it’s the locals business and none of mine) and no one really ever gave me grief for my English accent.
gilwendeg@reddit
It’s too far away. Can’t view it from here at all.
Pitiful_Tomato_28@reddit
As a person who has always lived im England... I have never thought about the Republic of Ireland at all. Now you mention it... It's a bit wierd that we've occupied it... Much like a lot of places in the world that we shouldn't be: Gibraltar, fawklands etc. If they want their freedom, so be it in my opinion. To quote a famous comedian : you're not special, we have a lot of ex colonies, sorry 😂
KasamUK@reddit
I put a cat flap in the door to my garage. If I’m honest it’s a bit of a bodge job and in an ideal world I’d have done it better, but works ok mostly, I don’t have to look at it that often and the alternative would be my cats and the neighbours cats scraping and screaming all night. Northern Ireland is a bit like that in my mind really
pikantnasuka@reddit
I know it's currently part of the UK, I expect it to be part of Ireland in my lifetime, I think I see it as somewhere sort of both and neither. Everyone I know who visits come back and goes "oh it was so beautiful, gorgeous, I wasn't expecting that".
armtherabbits@reddit
They must have not gone to Portadown.
Trude-s@reddit
Depends how badly they behave. They seem ok at the current time. A bit religious I believe, particularly the prods.
sjintje@reddit
Haven't been to northern Ireland, but I visited Dublin and that seemed much like a typical UK city, so northern Ireland being similar wouldn't be surprising.
bananabastard@reddit
I met tourists who said they thought Belfast felt more Irish than Dublin, ironically. They said because they met more local Irish people in it.
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
Never been but from my own learning and limited understanding it is its own place with its own people. Not an extension of the Republic and not a political chess peice.
thatscotbird@reddit
I don’t view them at all really? I feel the exact same about northern Irish people as I do English & Welsh. Honestly? Not even on my radar. Don’t care. Rarely think about them. Living my own life.
Lucky_Philosopher67@reddit
Jealously cause they can own handguns and i want one so bad but mainland uk laws suck 😔
chrisl182@reddit
Through binoculars
AdrianFish@reddit
I was quite fond of Roy Carroll as a young Man Utd fan, so that’s my basis
theholdencaulfield_@reddit
Look in the North-West direction
Nuo_Vibro@reddit
personally, as part of the country. Nuff said
MushyBeans@reddit
On the whole, I'm indifferent about the place. Some nice people, nice countryside but ruined by idiots.
I think it's fucking ridiculous to see kerbs painted a certain colour and flags and banners flying when you enter a town, just to let you know which side of the divide you are in.
Drop it, let the kids grow up without forcing the bullshit upon them.
HeriotAbernethy@reddit
I was a kid during the troubles and grew up in a town where sectarianism was an issue and so I rather see it through that lens. I don’t regard it with any fondness and find the Protestant element’s unionist and royalist flagshagging rather repellent. I’d be all for a united Ireland.
barrybreslau@reddit
I have complicated feelings about NI. I have never crossed the Irish sea, but I grew up, as many people did, with the threat of republican terrorism in GB, with all those representations of both sides of the sectarian conflict on TV every night. Despite this, throughout my life, I have been friends and colleagues with Northern Irish people, and I was glad when the Good Friday Agreement happened. I know other people have commented on whether or not it makes sense for NI to be in the union, and I don't have an answer to that, but, whatever happens, I hope that they can continue to live peacefully and equally.
Acceptable_Hall_4809@reddit
Quick head turn to the left
HampsterSquashed2008@reddit
A pointless chunk of land that comes with more complications that benefits
adinade@reddit
a can of worms I dont wanna touch.
RandomRedditor_1916@reddit
Smart man
writers_block_@reddit
I only ever think of Northern Ireland when I think of my dad being over there as part of the British Army. In my head, it's still a warzone over there. I know they have a really complicated history of politics and religion but I'd be lying if I said I knew anything about it.
Dennyisthepisslord@reddit
Most people really don't think of it any more than we think of the Netherlands or Denmark tbh
Qyro@reddit
I think we stamped our foot in where it wasn’t welcome and NI is the long lasting result. We should’ve just left after the string of wars a hundred-odd years ago. Unfortunately there’s too many people there who are proud Brits and consider it their home now, so until the religious and political divides between the British residents and the Irish residents are resolved, NI sits in a weird purgatory where it doesn’t really belong with either country.
tmstms@reddit
With massive ignorance.
Striking_Employer888@reddit
It’s a massive money pit that is a colonial era hangover that has much more in common with the Republic of Ireland than Britain.
Alien_Goatman@reddit
On a map
aldo000000000@reddit
Not a real country.
AddressOpposite@reddit
Through a giant telescope 🔭
itsYaBoiga@reddit
Don't really think about it much at all, but kinda a halfway land between the rest of the UK and ROI?
Barley56@reddit
I don't hear much from Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the country so I don't much of an opinion on it. And honestly I forget that it exists half the time
Apidium@reddit
Without trying to open up a whole can of worms. Really it's just a weird part of Ireland to me.
I'm very much a fan of the idea that folks should decide such things themselves and know nothing of the folks there so if they are happy to be part of the UK then great for them. But I suspect that logistically it would make more sense as part of Ireland and it's quite likely that the reason it isn't is due to some historical nonsense as opposed to rational reasons.
It's not that different in my mind to that of north and south Korea. They should just be one place but for historical folks causing shit.
My 'opinion' (worthless semi philosophical musings) though is worth nothing and frankly as long as the actual folks who are in a place are happy being part of whichever larger whole they are currently in then who am I to kick over that apple cart?
I often feel like if we had less historical baggage and behaved somewhat reasonably it would make a lot more sense to draw nation lines based upon geological structures and language based ones. If someone in the next village over is 30min away and you can both talk and understand one another it seems silly to me to slap a boarder between the two.
fatcockhotfortrans@reddit
Same as I view anywhere else I just don’t give a fuck
StupidMusician1@reddit
Ders more to loife den dis.
ArgumentativeNutter@reddit
great bunch o lads
ArgumentativeNutter@reddit
i spent a couple of weeks touring round NI about ten years ago, very interesting place and people. the grayson perry docu about it was pretty spot on.
Killer_radio@reddit
A multi billion pound black hole in our economy that’s caused us nothing but pain and misery.
humblepaul@reddit
I grew up with the IRA being busy in the 80s and 90s, so tend to think of it as a violent place. I fully support reunionification. Even if NIs existence is a thorn in Brexitters side.
planetwords@reddit
I keep forgetting about it, to be honest.
furdiscoball@reddit
i think of it quite a lot, i’m into my history of NI. i always feel like it’s forgotten about until it’s convenient, which annoys the hell outta me. if you’re interested, once upon a time in northern ireland is great on iplayer. i sobbed uncontrollably at the closing episode
TorstedTheUnobliged@reddit
From as far away as possible
Sorry_Error3797@reddit
On YouTube mainly. I'm too far away to see it in person.
OwineeniwO@reddit
I'm Welsh and we probably view Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK, I have a negative view of Belfast and would be worried if I had to move there which I know is irrational, I see the people in a black and white view of either Irish or racist knuckle draggers, but I'm old enough to remember bombings so obviously that clouds my thinking, it's definitely a place apart to me.
pertweescobratattoo@reddit
The Alabama of the UK.
neilm1000@reddit
Highly rural and utterly reliant on public spending. And cousin, or at least lots of 'same town childhood sweerheart' marriage.
thickwhiteduck@reddit
Had a friend who grew up there and ‘emigrated’ to England. He had no regrets as he said there were few opportunities for younger people. I’ve never been.
Repulsive-Echidna-74@reddit
Binoculars
curryandbeans@reddit
One of the best accents in the UK
harrison0713@reddit
Doesn't cross my mind, for no reason other than why would it, it holds little relevance to my day to day
non-hyphenated_@reddit
I went once. It seemed nice enough. I think about it no more than I do Scotland or Wales. That's not disparaging, I just don't live there and there's enough going on in my life already.
robrt382@reddit
I remember visiting Dublin for the first time, (1990s,) and feeling disappointed that it didn't feel more foreign.
Tasty-Distribution75@reddit
I think because of the sea between N.I and the mainland it is viewed differently to what someone from Birmingham might view Glasgow.
Acrobatic_Extent_360@reddit
It is pretty small really. Only a couple of million people, a bit distant and relatively poor. I haven't ever been, maybe because Wales or Scotland are easier to get to
That_Northern_bloke@reddit
On a map, unless we live or visit there, in which case you’d probably just look out the window
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